


From Paris to New York City by way of Gander

by lonesometraveler



Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017), Call Me By Your Name - All Media Types, Call Me by Your Name - André Aciman, Come From Away - Sankoff & Hein
Genre: Elio/ofc and Oliver/ofc are past relationships, M/M, Musician Elio Perlman, Professor Oliver, Reunions, September 11 Attacks, Stranded, Stressful Situations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:33:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23654641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonesometraveler/pseuds/lonesometraveler
Summary: When the US Airspace is closed because of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, 38 planes are forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland.On one of those planes, heading from Paris to NYC, are two people who hasn't seen each other in over 18 years.Stranded in a different country with 7000 other people from around the world, Elio and Oliver reconnect in a situation neither of them could have ever imagined as they wait to be allowed to go back home.
Relationships: Elio Perlman/Original Female Character(s), Oliver (Call Me By Your Name)/Original Female Characters, Oliver/Elio Perlman
Comments: 56
Kudos: 80





	1. 20 Hours

**Author's Note:**

> Soo, this is a story I've been writing for a while now.  
> I have only about 2 and half chapters written, it's unlike anything else I've ever written so sometimes it's slow going. But I want to finish it, the plan was to actually finish it before posting any of it, but I just can't help myself sometimes.  
> So updates will not be very frequent, unfortunately, because while I want to post regularly I want what I post to be decent, so things sometimes take time. 
> 
> I have not read the book, so I am going off the movie here. Most of the Come From Away bits are situational, there won't be much of a musical element to it, but I will borrow some characters and locations. But if you haven't watched it or heard any of the songs, go do that right now. It's amazing. (I might have a link to a bootleg, though I know that's not very proper. DM me for details on tumblr @enitramm).
> 
> I hope you want to read and to follow along as they go the trauma of experiencing 9/11 and the days following in an unfamiliar town filled to the brim of people just like them.
> 
> Also, I made Oliver's last name Maier. Idk, I liked it?

Elio put his hands up to his temples to try to rub away the headache he felt coming. The sound on the plane was deafening, and that was before the booze had been passed around. The air was thick, heavy with smells and odors of around 200 people who hadn’t seen a shower in at least a day. He leaned his head back as a child a few rows ahead of him started crying. God, they had been stuck on this plane for more than 20 hours now. His mp3-player had long since ran out of batteries, and his extras were in his luggage and not his carry-on. He had his laptop, but he had no internet connection and no power outlet for that either so he was stuck listening to the noises around him. 

He still hadn’t managed to get in contact with Kat. Or his parents. Not that he knew what to ask them if he could speak to them. But he had to know they were okay. Samuel and Annella had luckily flown to New York a few days ago, ready to celebrate Sabrina’s birthday with them. Fuck, he hoped they’d at least get to get off this plane soon if not go home. 

When the noise got unbearable Elio finally heaved himself to his feet. He could at least walk a little up the plane, stretch his legs a little, maybe get to use the toilet if the queue wasn’t horrible. He passed the crying child, being rocked to sleep by his haggard mother, and his heart ached for his daughter. He hadn’t seen her in over a month, spending the last 45 days in Paris to rehearse with the orchestra for his concert at the Paris Philharmonic. Her present (a teddy, some chocolate and a pretty dress he couldn’t resist getting her) was in his suitcase. He hoped the chocolate hadn’t melted.

Thankfully there were only two people in line for the toilets when he reached them, and the first one got in just as he reached them. He stretched his hands over his head as much as he could in the cramped space, bending them at the elbow instead to proper get the sleep out of him. He let out a little sigh, and turned to the right as he let his hands down back against his sides to let the woman exiting the toilet pass by him. As he turned his head back towards the plane he couldn’t help but feel like someone was staring at him, and as he flitted his eyes across the seats, he met a shocked pair of stunning blue eyes sitting four rows back. 

Elio was sure his own eyes were wide also, as they scanned over every inch of Oliver’s face. He looked older, not that that should be a surprise as they hadn’t seen each other in 18 years. His hair was still golden, but it was a little bit duller now, if that was due to age or being cooped up for 20+ hours was hard to say. He had crows feet by his eyes, a sign that he had lived a relatively happy life since their summer. He had a bit of a beard going, more than just a five o’clock shadow, and the rugged look suited him. 

Elio was snapped out of his musings by the person in line behind him asking if he was going to actually use the toilet, and with a lingering look towards Oliver and an apologizing smile towards the one waiting he entered the tiny cubicle. It smelled a lot, as one would expect, and he did his business as quickly as he could. He made sure to proper wash his hands before he exited the stall, and his feet headed towards Oliver before he could think better of it. They locked eyes again as he neared, and Oliver stood from his seat to meet him. 

Before Elio could react he was pulled into a warm chest, arms circling his shoulders as Oliver buried him in a hug as only he could do. His own arms came up around Oliver’s waist, and they held on maybe too long considering who they were and where they were. Oliver seemed to come to the same conclusion as he stepped back from the embrace, and gave him a shy smile that made him seem much younger than 42.

“My God, Elio Perlman after all these years.” His voice was still the same low timber, but there was an age to it now. Elio felt a shiver down his spine as he remembered that voice moaning his name into the night. 

“Oliver, hi.” Elio hated how breathless he sounded. He didn’t know how to continue. How do you talk to the man you fell in love with when you were 17, who shaped you more than you’d had thought at the beginning of that fateful summer, who broke your heart before you turned 18? How do you talk to the one person who once knew you in and out, who taught you pleasure, who showed you that you could be brave and love who you wanted without judgement, especially when you knew that the man himself couldn’t? How do you talk to the soul your heart had missed?

“Come, sit down, there’s a free seat next to me.” Oliver turned back to his row and sat in the window seat, his long long legs bent painfully at the knee and pressing against the seat in front of him. Elio folded himself into the chair next to him, it was warm from were Oliver was sitting in it previously, and Elio couldn’t help but want to sink into that warmth. 

Oliver had yet to take his eyes off of Elio, and Elio didn’t know what to read into it, if there was anything at all. As far as he knew, Oliver was still married. His parents had gone to his wedding in New England that spring Elio turned 18. Elio had been invited as well, but he knew watching the man he still loved more than anything marry someone else would break him much more than Oliver leaving would. His parents understood, and when he didn’t ask any questions when they returned they figured Oliver, and his wife, was a subject best left untouched.

Elio’s thoughts turned to Kat and Sabrina. They had never married, in fact they didn’t even stay together much longer than a year after Sabrina was born. To call her an accident would be wrong, but Elio can’t claim that she was planned. That didn’t stop him from loving her with all his heart, though. He pulled his cellphone from his pocket, battery at just a few percent, but there was still no signal and no incoming messages. He gave a sigh before he shoved it in his pocket again, turning towards Oliver. 

“Sorry, just, I haven’t been able to reach my daughter.” Oliver eyes filled with sympathy and warmth, and he reached out and clasped Elio’s hand in his. “Don’t apologize for being worried about your family.” He gave a small smile. “I’d loan you mine but it’s dead.” Elio smiled back, squeezing Oliver’s hand back and refraining from interlocking their fingers, no matter how much he may have wanted to. “You manage to talk to everyone before it died, though?” Your wife? Your kids? Do you have kids, Oliver? Tell me about them. Not about her, though, please don’t torment me like that. Oliver nodded. “Yes, managed to reach my eldest, since he was the only one home at the time, though he couldn’t tell much of what’s happened, just that there’s been an accident in the city.” Elio swallowed, he’d been hearing murmurs from the other passengers but nothing’s been confirmed yet. He tried to put his mind off of it, he had to until he could talk to Kat or his parents. 

“So you have a daughter?” Oliver’s voice brought him back, back into the plane they’d been stuck in for almost 21 hours now. Because of an incident in New York. _Focus._ Elio shook his head to clear it, tucked a stray curl behind an ear. “Yes, I have one daughter, her name is Sabrina and she is turning 7 tomorrow,” Elio answered with a small smile, pulling out his wallet and the picture he had of the two of them in there. It was taken this summer, when they’d been in Italy, her on his shoulders, fingers trapped in his curls while her own dark ringlets hung wet on her shoulders. They were both grinning at the camera, standing in the water of the river. Elio’s shorts hung low on his hips, showing his still thin but now more grown up body and the trail of dark hair that disappeared down his shorts. Annella had taken the photo and also had a copy of it back at the villa. 

Elio glanced over at Oliver and watched him take in the photo, noticing how his eyes definitely traced down his body and payed attention to his low slung shorts. He visibly shook himself before he focused on Sabrina instead, and his eyes turned soft. “Oh Elio, she’s beautiful.” Elio smiled, proud of his angel. “She has your hair, huh?” Oliver gently took the photo from Elio’s hand and brought it closer to his face. “And your bone structure. And your eyes.” Elio started to turn a little red with his blush. “And your smile.” Oliver turned a fond, humorous glance at Elio. “Are you sure this isn’t just a clone of you?”

Elio gave a little laugh, shaking his head. “No, she’s the real deal alright.” He gave a grin. “And Kat won’t let her forget that it took her 16 long hours to come out, though she’s pissed she didn’t gain any of her traits.” Elio rolled his eyes. “I don’t agree though, she definitely gained her joy for life, her kindness towards just about anyone.” His heart beat harder, thinking about her, back in New York, where there’s been an accident. _Plane crash. Terrorist attack._ He shook his head again, refusing to think about it.

“And Kat is your wife?” Oliver asked gently, handing the picture back over. Elio glanced at it, taking in Sabrina’s smiling face before putting it back in his wallet. He gave a little laugh.

“No, me and Kat never married,” he shrugged and glanced at Oliver, seeing how his suddenly tensed shoulders relaxed again. “We kind of always knew we wouldn’t last, I think, though she is still the longest relationship I’ve had.” He met Oliver’s eyes, and gave a smile. “She’s one of my best friends, though, and we share an apartment for the times I’m in New York.” Oliver gave a hum, prompting him to continue. “I travel a lot. Mostly I play with the New York Philharmonic, but sometimes I play concerts alone or with other orchestras, or attend conferences or workshops pretty much all over.” Elio said with a shrug. Oliver looked at him, clearly impressed. “Wow, Elio, that’s amazing!” Elio smiled shyly, wondering a little why Oliver still made him feel like a teenager. 

“What about you? You said eldest, that implies at least two?” Elio turned a little more towards him, and was suddenly very glad that they’d happened to meet again. And he knew if he didn’t have Oliver here as a distraction he’d go crazy. Oliver gave a little shrug, and leaned towards Elio to take his wallet out of his pocket. “Yeah, I’ve got two boys.” He handed over a picture of two teenage boys. They were blond, tan and blue eyed, and Elio felt his heart clench. “And you said Sabrina was my clone,” he teased, glancing up at him. Oliver chuckled, “Yeah, the Maier genes are strong.” He gave a shrug. Elio looked at the picture again, fond over two boys he’d never met or even heard of before now just because they were a part of the man who sat next to him. “What are their names?” He handed the photo back, and relished in the contact as Oliver leaned against him to put his wallet back. “Adam’s the eldest, he’s 15, only cares about girls and soccer right now,” Oliver said with an eyeroll, and Elio couldn’t help but giggle a little. “The other one’s 12, his name’s Alex. He’s obsessed with baseball.” 

Elio laughed, and shook his head with a fond “ _Boys!_ ” on his lips, and Oliver couldn’t help but laugh along. “And your wife?” Elio knew he had to ask, it would be impolite not too, no matter how much it might hurt. Oliver sighed, and held up his left hand with a bare ring finger. “Ex-wife, actually.” When Elio looked at him he just gave a shrug, but Elio couldn’t help the giddy feeling coming over him. Which he knew was rude, you’re supposed to say you’re sorry when you get told something like that, not get sweaty palms from excitement and just wanting to reach out and touch. “Oh, I’m sorry.” He finally managed to say.

Oliver waved him away. “No, don’t be.” He gave a shrug again. “There was a reason we had been on and off for so long, we’ve always had a turbulent relationship.” Oliver met Elio’s eyes, and Elio couldn’t look away. “When I got back that fall I was broken, and she kinda helped me put the pieces back together.” He gave a small smile. “It was the logical choice.” He sighed. Elio watched in silence. “My parents loved her, she was Jewish, she was smart, she was a _she,_ ” Oliver looked away. “But while we were happy for a while, or as happy as I could be then, it couldn’t last.” Elio couldn’t help but reach out and take his big hand between his own, cradling it in his lap. “We held together longer than either of us really expected, and the last few years was mainly for the boys’ sake.” Elio could feel his gaze on his face, how he traced his still sharp jawline with his eyes. “We split in ‘97, amicably, and we have shared custody.” Elio finally turned his eyes from their hands up to his face, and gave him a smile. “I’m happy for you.” Oliver frowned. “You are?” Elio smiled wider at his confusion and nodded. “Yeah. I’m glad she was there for you after…” _us_ “and I’m glad that she gave you two handsome boys, and that she didn’t take them away after when she could have.” 

The smile that appeared on Oliver’s face left Elio breathless, and all he wanted to do was sink into his arms and just be for a bit, let his calm demeanor and gentle hands soothe him, quiet down the thoughts running through his head. Before he could even say a word, the flight attendant came on over the speaker, telling them to bring their carry-on luggage, and their blankets and pillows off the plane. 

Elio gave Oliver a smile before he stood up and headed back to his seat to pack up his stuff, checking his phone one last time just as it finally runs out of power. Then there’s a lot of commotion, and between leaving the plane, entering the airport and going through to get seated on one of the many school buses lined up outside, Elio loses sight of Oliver entirely.


	2. Sleeping arrangements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The stranded passengers are taken to different places around Gander airport, one of them being Gander Academy.  
> They get situated and is finally able to see what's actually happened on the news.
> 
> Then comes the first long night on uncomfortable cots in a room filled with strangers sleeping.
> 
> Secrets get shared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heey guys!  
> Thanks for all the love on the first chapter! This is very exciting for me. 
> 
> I don't know if it's needed, but general warning for talk about the terrorist attacks on 9/11. The boys themselves find out more this time, so it's a bit more descriptive than last time. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

It was worse than he could have ever imagined.

Elio stood with a group of passengers, staring at the television screen where they kept showing footage of the second plane hitting the south tower. Then the south tower crumbling to the ground. Half an hour later, the north tower following. Shocked gasps rang all around him as he brought his head into his hands, closing his eyes to try to get rid of the images. Fuck, he needed to find a phone.

He turned around to go look for one when he spotted Oliver coming into the room. Elio wanted to stop him from coming closer, he didn’t want him to have to see, but even as he neared Elio saw it on his face when he finally understood what had happened. Oliver’s face paled, a tremble went down his body before he met Elio’s eyes which were filled with tears and desperation. Oliver took a few long strides towards him, and pulled Elio into his arms. Elio didn’t realize until then that he was shaking.

“Have you managed to reach your family?” Oliver asked into Elio’s hair, uncaring of who might be looking at them right then, two grown men clinging to each other. Elio could only shake his head with a sob stuck in his throat, before Oliver barely pulled back to bring him back to where he left his bag, and his cellphone charging in an outlet. He handed it over to Elio, but he still couldn’t seem to be able to let him go. “Thanks.” Elio didn’t want him to let go, keeping one hand around Oliver’s waist while the other dialed Kat’s number from memory.

_“Hello, Katherin Martin speaking.”_

“Kat-” Elio’s voice got caught in his throat.

“ _Elio?!_ ” She sounded both terrified and relieved at once, and Elio could hear a commotion in the background, probably his parents. _“Are you okay?! Where are you?”_ A noise. “ _I’m putting you on speaker, hold on._ ”

Elio couldn’t speak, so Oliver took the phone from him and pulled him closer to his chest, and Elio buried his face in his chest, sobbing. 

“Hi, this is Oliver Maier, Elio is a little overwhelmed.” His voice was professional, but fond.

“ _Oliver?_ ” Elio could hear his father’s voice, tinny over the connection. He looked up at Oliver, and he took the hint and put the phone on speaker.

“Hey, Pro, you’re on speaker.”

“ _Are you both okay?_ ” There was his mom. Sabrina was probably asleep, it was coming on 1 am after all. Shit, it was her birthday now.

Elio sniffled, but managed to finally speak. 

“Yeah, mama, we’re okay now.” 

Oliver rubbed his broad palm up and down Elio’s back.

“Elio’s been a little anxious since he hasn’t been able to reach you, but physically we’re fine.” Elio nodded against his chest. He felt Oliver’s fingers brushing through his curls, and he pressed closer. 

“ _Oh, tesoro, I’m so glad you’re okay, both of you.”_

“ _Where are you right now?”_ That was Kat. She knew who Oliver was, Elio had told her about him when they were dating.

“We’re up in Newfoundland, the American airspace is closed so we can’t enter the country.” Oliver explained to them. “We just got to Gander Academy and saw the news…” He trailed off. Elio hugged him a little harder, trying to offer what comfort he could.

“ _Do you know when you might be able to come back?_ ” His dad was worried, Elio could tell.

“No, nothing yet. Hopefully already tomorrow, but right now it’s all guessing.” 

“ _All right, you two take care of each other, get some rest and let us know when you know more._ ” His mother, always the more pragmatic of the two. 

“We will, and we’ll call again tomorrow when Sabrina is awake so I can wish her happy birthday.” 

After a few more goodbye’s and I love you’s, they hang up. Elio was still in Oliver’s arms, and he wasn’t sure he could stand straight if he let go. 

“Are you hungry, do you want some food?” Oliver’s voice was low, husky, and in any other circumstance it would have shot arousal through Elio’s body. Right now though, all he wanted was sleep. He shook his head, face dragging across the chest in front of him. Oliver smelled a little sweaty and stale, as he himself also probably did, but all it did was comfort him, as it reminded him of that summer when the weather was so warm you would sweat even in the breeze, and even though Oliver just walked around in shorts most of the time, and took regular refreshing breaks in the water, he still usually had a little air of sweat around him. And after their relationship took a physical turn, Elio had relished in how the smell of him, of them, would hang on him and on his clothes, on their sheets, for hours after. 

“No I just wanna sleep, but if you’re hungry we can go grab something.” Maybe it was forward of him to assume they would stay together, but he couldn’t bear the thought of letting him out of his sight, of trying to sleep alone in a crowded gym on an uncomfortable cot, too far away from home. He needed him close, or he would break down. Oliver’s relieved sigh and the hand clasping his neck suggested he might have felt the same way. 

“Okay, we’ll just go find a sandwich or something, then we’ll head to bed, alright?” 

Elio nodded, and pulled back to look at him for the first time since he’d heard Kat’s voice. There was wariness, shock and exhaustion on his face, but his eyes were fond as they gazed at him, and Elio couldn’t help but reach up a hand and hold his cheek in his palm, smiling softly when Oliver leaned into it, turning his head to graze his palm with a kiss. His hand was grabbed before he could do much of anything else, and Oliver led him back into the cafeteria, where they both ignored the televisions still playing the news reel as much as they could, Elio also taking a sandwich after some goading form Oliver, and they headed back to their beds for the night.

\--

You’d think after 20 hours cramped on an airplane, enough stress and terror to last a lifetime and reuniting with Oliver Elio would find sleep quickly. He was exhausted, no doubt about it, but it was hard to find rest. Their cots were small, even though they pushed them closer together they were still separate, so they were no longer touching, and Elio found himself losing his cool and calm a little. Oliver shifted on his own bed again, so Elio knew he weren’t sleeping either. He turned his head and looked over, and found Oliver’s eyes in the slight darkness. A glance at his wrist showed the time as nearing 3 am, and the noise around them was still too loud. He was sure people were still arriving from the airport, but it was already really crowded at the academy. 

“Elio.” Oliver’s voice was quiet, but Elio could still hear him over the constant hum of noises. He glanced over at him again and saw that he had retreated to the far edge of his cot, which his long legs were hanging off of, and held up a corner of his blanket. “Come here.”

Elio glanced around, but he simply didn’t give a fuck if anyone had anything to say about two men sleeping in the same cot. He was pretty sure he’d seen another gay couple earlier when they were brushing their teeth, so at least they weren’t the only ones. Not that they were a couple, he reminded himself. He left both his pillow and blanket on his own cot and got into Oliver's. It was a tight fit, both of them being tall men and Oliver was still as broad as he had been 18 years earlier, so Elio had to lay mostly on top of him. Head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, and a leg thrown over Oliver’s hip to make sure he wouldn’t fall off. It reminded him so much of Italy, of summer, and he could already feel his eyes getting heavier. As he fell asleep he felt Oliver’s lips kissing his forehead, and with a sigh he was lost to Morpheus. 

\--

  
  


\--

Elio slowly woke up as he felt Oliver shift under him. Elio didn’t want him to get up, to leave him alone even for a few minutes, so he pretended to still be asleep, making himself heavier on top of him, but all Oliver did was change his position a little so he could cuddle Elio closer to him. Elio let out a small sigh, hiding his smile in Oliver’s chest, as Oliver started to stroke his fingers through Elio’s hair. There was vibrations coming from his chest, and at first Elio thought he might be humming, but as he focused he could hear words.

“God, I’ve missed this so much, I’ve missed you so much Elio, having you close, in my arms, safe and sound.” He drew a breath, letting it out into Elio’s curls, lifting a few to his nose to draw in his smell. “I used to dream about this, for years, even when I was married, and even more after, when I was all alone, and I would dream about _heaven_ , about Bergamo, about our spot, and imagine what would have happened if I never got on that train, if I just came back when I realized how stupid I was being leaving the one I loved more than anything, if I ignored my father’s threats, my mother’s disappointed remarks…” Elio felt a kiss on his forehead, as he reeled over the information he was getting, finally making reason of some of Oliver’s decisions that summer. “But then I’d feel so guilty, because then I wouldn’t have had my boys, and I love them more than life itself. They make me so proud, and I love being a dad, and now I definitely feel guilty for dreaming of all this, as you’d never have your daughter, and I can tell how much you love her, worship her, and if I’d stayed she wouldn’t exist.”

Elio didn’t dare move, he’d never heard Oliver speak like this, feel like this, and he wasn’t sure he would be as honest if he knew Elio could hear him. 

Oliver’s voice was soft, fond and excited as he continued. “So instead I would dream of us meeting again, bumping into each other at a coffee shop near campus, or I’d finally get the courage to call you, and I would have you in my life, in my arms again. And even if I’d found out you had a partner, we could still have something. I would be content with only friendship if that was all you could offer, and I would introduce you to the boys, and you would be cool uncle Elio from Italy, teaching them swear words in French and Italian…” He trailed off with a chuckle. “But when I really wanted to indulge I’d imagine you weren’t married, or in a relationship, and that you still wanted me…” Elio could hear the smile in his voice, and he knew a similar one was on his own face. “And we would intertwine our families, and you would instead be Elio, dad’s boyfriend, then fiance, then husband, and you would become Papa, and my kids would be yours, and I would be yours as you would be mine. And now when I imagine, I’d get both you, and your beautiful daughter, and I’d become papa’s boyfriend, fiance, husband, and then daddy.” Oliver choked on a sob, clenching Elio closer to himself. “Fuck, I want that so much.” 

Elio couldn’t pretend any longer, and as he felt the tears that had steadily pooled in his eyes as Oliver painted a future for them, together, fall down his face and drip off his face onto Oliver’s chest, he pulled himself more on top of the man under him, holding him tight as he let his tears soak the neck of Oliver’s t-shirt. He felt Oliver tense for a moment, as he realized Elio had probably heard a lot more than he intended, but as Elio pressed a wet kiss to the skin of his neck, he relaxed again and held Elio tighter. 

“I know you didn’t mean for me to hear that, but I’m so glad I did,” Elio mumbled into Oliver’s neck. “‘Cause knowing you feel this way, knowing all the longing and anguish hasn’t been one-sided makes the last 18 years apart seem like nothing.” Elio pulled back a little, sliding to lay beside Oliver again instead of on top of him, as much as the cot allowed at least. “And I know you never would have told me to my face, and you would have hidden your desires and dreams until I acted on mine, even if that would have hurt you in the end. You always have been so selfless when it comes to us -” Oliver went to interrupt him. “No listen, I know you think that summer was selfish, that you hurt me or took advantage of me, that you, I don’t know, corrupted me or something, but you didn’t, okay?” They met eyes, both of them still wet with tears and red with exhaustion. 

“I knew you were leaving, I knew we’d only have a few short weeks together, I knew we would probably never see each other again after those weeks, but I got together with you with both eyes open, Oliver.” Elio smiled, and lifted a hand to Oliver’s face and stroked away a few tears from his cheeks. “And yeah, maybe we both thought it would be more of a fling, a quick summer romance you’d remind yourself of fondly years down the line, but not think much of. I don’t think either of us expected it to change us the way it did, form us and the way we looked at life and love…” Elio trailed off. 

“I’m speaking at least for myself here, and even though I’ve had relationships that lasted years, strong characters that have loved and hurt me in different ways, I never forgot you.” Oliver gave a soft gasp, lifting his own hand to Elio’s face as he leaned his head into the palm still resting against his own. “For periods of time, I would knowingly deny myself to think about you, when things were serious with other people, but in parts I would always compare them to you.” Elio blushed, and leaned his forehead on Oliver’s chest. “If they made me feel as good as you did, if their kisses left me as overwhelmed as yours did, if they could make me lose sense of time and space when we made love like you did, if they were as smart as you, if my parents liked them as much as they loved you…” He drifted off, turning his head to lay a kiss against Oliver’s palm. “They never stood a chance.”

Elio felt Oliver press a kiss on his forehead, could feel Oliver’s arms clutching him tighter, could feel how hard his heart was beating. Elio could only cling back, still not quite believing he had Oliver back in his arms. He wanted to kiss him. So badly. But he was aware they were still in a crowded gym at an elementary school miles away from home. And he was pretty sure that if they started now they’d never stop. 

They pulled away from each other, met red eyes and each gave a little chuckle as Oliver’s stomach rumbled. “Breakfast, then?” Elio muttered, the smell of freshly baked bread had been sifting into the room for a while now. “Yeah, probably a good idea so I don’t wake the whole gym.” Oliver blushed a little as his stomach made another noise, almost in agreement. “Then we’ll call your family again, yeah?”

Elio agreed and they slowly got out of the cot, heading out to the toilets to wash the sleep from their eyes before going to the cafeteria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo, how'd you like it? I've never written Elio or Oliver before, so idk how true I am being to their characters.. Please let me know if you find them very ooc, so I can tag it. 
> 
> Leave a note and let me know what you think, it really makes my day. I'm trying to be better as a writer and actually replying to your reviews, cause I know that when I myself review works it always makes me smile when the author replies back. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I'll see you soon.

**Author's Note:**

> If I've missed any tags you think I should use, please let me know. I don't want to give too much away, but I understand how some people use them to avoid fics that may be triggering. I will be updating them as the story unfolds, and any possible triggers will be warned about in future chapter notes.
> 
> Otherwise, kudos and comments are much appreciated. I try to write for myself, but it's always lovely to be told other people like it too. 
> 
> If you wanna scream at me about this fic, any other fic I'm writing or just Charmie/cmbyn stuff, I can be found on tumblr @enitramm, where my askbox is always open.


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